Bill that pushes closing time at bars to 4 a.m. in six California cities passes first hurdles

By Katie Burke – Food/Hospitality/Retail Reporter, San Francisco Business Times

Mar 13, 2018, 1:54pm PDTUpdatedMar 13, 2018, 9:36pm PDT

The last call for alcohol at some California bars could soon be as late as 4 a.m. under a new bill that just advanced in the state Senate.

The Let Our Communities Adjust Late-Night Act would allow six cities to determine whether to extend alcohol sales hours: San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, West Hollywood and Long Beach. If it passes, SB 905 would change hours starting in January 2020 to give cities time to prepare. It would run for a five-year period, after which cities could decide whether to discontinue or extend allowing later alcohol sales.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), is now heading to the California Senate's Appropriations Committee after it was approved in the the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

Local hospitality groups such as the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the Hotel Council of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Travel Association and the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance continue to be the largest supporters of the bill, saying it will bolster the city's nightlife.

Kevin Carroll, the executive director of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, previously said extended nightlife hours would help the city compete with most major U.S. metros as well as international destinations. New York, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Louisville and other large cities allow businesses to sell alcohol until 4 a.m.

Rideshare behemoths Uber and Lyft are also in support of the bill, especially since it requires local governing bodies to ensure sufficient transit options are available in those later hours.

“This bill gives cities the ability to extend hours wherever and however it works best for them, whether that’s in limited neighborhoods, certain nights a week or only on a few nights a year,” Senator Wiener said in a statement.

Local watchdog groups pushed back on the initial legislation, saying the bill would result in increased street violence, traffic collisions and emergency room visits.

Marin-based Alcohol Justice, an industry watchdog, cited reports that showed the state has $35 billion in alcohol-related incidents each year, a figure that costs local and state governments $14.5 billion annually.

However, the legislation could pull in addition support now that it's on a smaller scale. The revised version will also give cities the ability to allow the extended hours only on specific days of the week or certain holidays.